By Diego Arrazola
The Mexican Pacific coast is not only distinguished by its magnificent beaches, exuberant jungle and postcard sunsets, but also has its own architectural style: the Careyes style.
In addition to its magnificent hotels, towns, varied and excellent gastronomy and friendly people, another element that stands out from Huatulco to Los Cabos, passing through Puerto Vallarta, Punta de Mita and Mazatlán, is its beach architecture. Recognized worldwide, there is a style of construction with palapas, concrete furniture integrated into the design, and majestic and imaginative spaces that coexist harmoniously with the sea and the sky.
How did it surge?
Much of this current, full of forceful colors and solid constructions, owes its origin to Careyes, a captivating area of the Costa Alegre. This paradisiacal spot in southern Jalisco has been the inspiration of renowned architects such as Marco Aldaco, Diego Villaseñor, the famous Luis Barragán or emerging stars such as Alex Possenbacher. The chronicles say that, at the beginning of the 70s, Gloria Guinness - married to the owner of the beer brand - had a mansion built in Acapulco, at that time the fashionable place to vacation among the jet set.
She commissioned the work to Marcos Aldaco, an architect from Jalisco, whose project was a “disintegrated” house, like a village: with a large central palapa, dining room, kitchen, and bedrooms scattered over a rocky and uneven terrain. The palapa had a double floor: the dining room upstairs and the living room downstairs. All open, facing the majestic ocean. The construction broke with everything established at the time in matters of construction and design.
The legend, and the magazines, say that the Italian banker Gian Franco Brignone knew about the Guinness house on the Mexican coast. Brignone was looking for a place to retire, he was thinking of a virgin place, on the coast, far from Europe. A friend of his took him to fly in a small plane in the area between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. Virtually from the air, the Italian chose the place for his beach refuge and decided to buy a large piece of land.
When Brignone fell in love with the Acapulco Guinness house, he set out to find Aldaco, its creator. Initially, the Careyes project included building 14 hotels and 6,000 condominiums. The defection of the investors forced us to rethink the plan and reduce it.
Finally, Careyes became not a summer tourist mecca, but a highly exclusive development favored by millionaires, royalty and celebrities. Things in life, the former banker Brignone became an architect and designed some of the constructions of his subdivision.
This corner of the Costa Alegre in Jalisco is synonymous with an architectural style that is already a world reference. The Puerto Vallarta area and the entire Banderas Bay in general have welcomed the Careyes style, with its imaginative constructions, bright colors, sometimes thunderous, infinity-type pools, which offer an alternative to those who do not like much the Mexican Hacienda style.
In addition to constructions with domes and gabled roofs, so in vogue in these parts, in the last four decades, builders and architects have offered Careyes-type villas to the market. It is also true that many of his clients demand their projects designed under the canons of said style.
A bold, highly creative architecture that uses natural and regional elements and materials characterizes this style that is already part of the coastal landscape of the Mexican Pacific, such as the sand, the blue sea or the splendid sunsets.
With open and generous spaces, geometric shapes, Careyes villas or mansions are not just residences. They are also a good way to impress friends, leave enemies breathless, as well as being an excellent motif for architecture, fashion or travel magazines and blogs. Of course, selfies have never been as good as in the infinity pools or their spacious terraces with fine wooden floors equipped with hammocks to do absolutely nothing.
These constructions with a Mexican beach flavor are the ideal place to live with your partner, family, friends, in a functional and relaxed environment. They are comfortable and tasteful spaces, exclusive viewpoints, to enjoy the sunsets while sipping your favorite drink, or watch the moon reflected in the sea.
Many have known for years that the spectacular Mexican Pacific can also be experienced, very comfortably, in a house or bungalow built with the Careyes seal. All thanks to a Guinness...
